Germany Debates Fracking as Energy Costs Rise

By

William Boston

March 1, 2013 2:33 p.m. ET

BERLIN—Germany is debating whether to allow hydraulic fracturing, a controversial drilling technique to extract natural gas from shale, amid concern that rising energy costs in the country could threaten its industrial backbone.

The German public is deeply suspicious of the drilling practice, commonly known as fracking. Many Germans worry that the process, which involves using a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals to...